Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion (1 Viewer)

[Sam Posten]

Not only that but you can redownload em from the appstore for free too unlike Music.

 

[DaveF]

Thanks for the info.

 

[DaveF]

AppStore concerns? Tempest in a Teapot, or is Apple really starting to make foundational errors? I read the critiques lightly, thinking they represent a handful of problems in the submission of 50k apps; a trivial percentage. This, however, is the scariest two posts I've read about the appStore.

But maybe it doesn't matter. A phone contract is only two years. If in 2011 or 2012, Apple really has screwed it up, you buy the next new hot thing and enjoy it for two years...

In other words, every app that allows users to see unfiltered internet content must be rated “17+”. I guess that’s somewhat reasonable.

Apple thinks reviews can take 8-30 days and web-capable apps need nudity warnings and the management interface can be buggy as shit and they don’t need us to be able to reach them and nobody really needs to take any of this very seriously.
Because it’s working for them. They’re making a killing taking their 30% commission on the 1.5 billion copies of $0.99 top-25 games that they’ve sold. Who cares if the App Store discourages good developers from putting serious effort into it? Apple doesn’t need to care. And, clearly, they don’t.

 

[Ted Todorov]

AppStore concerns? Tempest in a Teapot, or is Apple really starting to make foundational errors?

I spoke to a friend who attended WWDC right after the conference. His take: Apple just doesn't have enough people right now to handle the massive, massive waves of iPhone apps being thrown at them.

Basically, Apple's problem is that they have very high standards for who they hire, and there are only so many people in the Bay Area. Their weakest spot is the app store approval proses.

But hey -- at least they are not Amazon. Amazon, in the last week has scored the trifecta of corporate stupidity. First they got Delicious Library and PocketPedia yanked off the iPhone for the grievous sin of using Amazon data (and in the process generating countless Amazon sales).
But then they really hit it out of the park by removing books that people had bought and paid for -- copies of Orwell's 1984 (!!!!!!!!) and Animal Farm off their customers' Kindles. If the realization that any book you "buy" for your Kindle may go poof at any moment on Amazon's whim doesn't scare you away from buying a Kindle, you just aren't paying attention.

 

[Sam Posten]

They recanted and said they wouldnt do that again tho.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/drm/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=218501227

 

[Ted Todorov]

Originally Posted by Sam Posten

They recanted and said they wouldnt do that again tho.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/drm/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=218501227

Unless their recantation includes doing away with DRM (like iTunes music), it isn't worth the bits its written on.

 

[Sam Posten]

Wanna know a secret?

I've turned off 3g and am using edge for the last day or so! I connect more reliably and only a little slower!

 

[DaveF]

http://daringfireball.net/linked/2009/07/23/att-ceo-exclusive

Of course all exclusivity agreements come to an end. So I hope DF's optimistic interpretation is correct in the short-term.

Or not, since my cats, iPhone and appStore, have consumed my smartphone budget

 

[DavidJ]

Originally Posted by Sam Posten

Wanna know a secret?

I've turned off 3g and am using edge for the last day or so! I connect more reliably and only a little slower!

I hate to think I may have to do that. My battery is running on empty nearly every evening.

 

[Sam Posten]

It's been working well for me especially since i use wifi most often anyway one less antenna cooking seems to really help

 

[Ted Todorov]

Originally Posted by DavidJ
I hate to think I may have to do that. My battery is running on empty nearly every evening.

If I see that my battery is running low on a workday afternoon, I plug it in for a few minutes. All you need is the USB cable -- there's bound to be plenty of available USB ports around the office. (In my case I have a charger from an old iPod that I keep at work).

 

[DaveF]

The latest round of "appStore is rotten" posts from DaringFireball are the most interesting, and dismaying yet.

The contrast from iPhone owners and the dev posts is marked. The owners are polar opposites, with misty-eyed comments on how they love the appStore, how well it serves the consumer, and how many of their apps were free!

Having used iTunes for music shopping, it seems at the outset that it's a mediocre (at best) choice for a software store. It's not that hot for music buying -- a pain to shop, search, and not indexed by Google. It's just it's better than all the even suckier options out there running by web page. I would guess the appStore is the same: the worst mobile phone shopping experience, except for all the other truly horrendous "app stores" by other companies.

And having bought Palm OS software over the years, buying standlone software from independent websites is no great shakes: What was the website I wanted for the killer app? Am I getting the right version? The newest version? Is it compatible with my particular device? To whom am I giving my credit card info? Where's that reg code now???

I don't know if developers are all Chicken Little, or if Apple is sowing the seeds for its own destruction. What I know is that, for all the developer handwringing, I'd buy two iPhones tomorrow if they fit our budget.

 

[Ted Todorov]

iPhone OS 3.0.1 is out. Fixes the SMS vulnerability.

 

[DavidJ]

Thanks. Downloading it now.

 

[DaveF]

Budget for two iPhones are intended for next year's household budget. Those plans may be canceled.

http://daringfireball.net/2009/08/ninjawords

Apple censored an English dictionary.

Iron-fisted, inconsistent, developer-damaging control of the appStore is Apple's business (literally). I'm OK with that. But censorship of standard reference works is bad. It's not just "bad:, as in I don't like. It's not just bad, in a business sense. It's morally wrong.

 

[steviejobs]

Is this the new iPhone 3GS/iPod touch competitor from Creative Labs?
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/07/zii-egg-2.jpg">[/url]
The Zii EGG is a touchscreen, iPod touch look-alike player that can do much more. Below are the specs for the device:
Capacitive 10-point multi-gesture touch display
3.5” 320 x 480 true-color display
X-Fi audio processing
Up to 32GB Internal Flash Storage
32MB NOR Flash (Linux kernel Boot ROM)
256MB Mobile DDR RAM
Supports 720p and 1080p HDTVs via HD cable
Composite video-out
Dual cameras for High Definition photos and movie capture
- Forward facing VGA camera
- Rear facing HD camera
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
Hardware GPS receiver
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Accelerometer
Ambient light sensor
SDHC slot (supports up to 32GB of external SDHC Card)
USB 2.0 Mini-B (MTP and Charging)
Universal Docking connector (USB, Audio)
Headphone socket, built-in speaker and microphone
Supports Plaszma OS and Zii Optimized Android
Light weight: 108g

I like the fact that it is based on the open source Android and does 1080p video out. Here's the demo video:

 

[Ted Todorov]

Originally Posted by DaveF ">[/url]
Iron-fisted, inconsistent, developer-damaging control of the appStore is Apple's business (literally). I'm OK with that. But censorship of standard reference works is bad. It's not just "bad:, as in I don't like. It's not just bad, in a business sense. It's morally wrong.[/QUOTE]I'm completely outraged by the the dictionary bowdlerization story -- I've said it before and I'll say it again:

 

[DavidJ]

If anyone is still looking for a case for a 3G S phone, might I recommend the CapsuleRebel by SwitchEasy. I tried out a lot of cases, read a lot of comments and reviews online and eventually ordered it from Amazon a few days after I got the phone. It finally came yesterday after about a month and a half and I'm very impressed with it. I like that it combines the benefits of both soft and hard cases. You can get pretty creative with the color combos, but I kept it simple with the black Serpent pattern.

 

[Ted Todorov]

Quote:

Originally Posted by steviejobs

Is this the new iPhone 3GS/iPod touch competitor from Creative Labs?

How does the pricing compare to the iPodTouch? I am immediately suspicious that memory tops out at 32GB when obviously a 64GB iPodTouch will be released next month. Indeed the whole timing of this screams please compare me to the old model, not the new one.

 

[Ted Todorov]

Phil Schiller responds to John Gruber on the censored dictionary: daringfireball.net/2009/08/phil_schiller_app_store

Bottom line -- Schiller says that with a 17+ rating no censorship is necessary. The whole thing happened due to bad timing of the app submission surrounding the intro of the rating system. Schiller also says that Apple is trying to learn from its mistakes and improve.

I do find Phil Schiller quickly responding an encouraging sign. I look forward to word that an uncensored version of that app has been approved.

http://daringfireball.net/2009/08/phil_schiller_app_store